The Vision of Ardai Viraf
Happiness comes to him, through whom happiness goes out to others. — Ushtavaiti Gastha Alexander’s conquest of the 4th century BC brought with it a… Read More »The Vision of Ardai Viraf
Article
Articles from various theosophical authors.
The “Vast Individual”
Mazdean teachings explain that because all creatures are equally important parts of one “Vast Individual,” whatever gives pleasure or pain to one, affects for good… Read More »The “Vast Individual”
The Prophet of Light
Aid me by light, and vivify me by light, and guard me by light, and unite me unto light! I ask of Thee, O Worthy… Read More »The Prophet of Light
The Story of Beginnings
The Persian story of beginnings is of the rebecoming, the renovation, of what has ever existed and is repeatedly refashioned in manifested appearances. These appearances… Read More »The Story of Beginnings
William Quan Judge
The logic of discipleship is implicit in the fundamental law of cosmogenesis and cosmic evolution—the law of sacrifice. The disciple strives to gain critical knowledge… Read More »William Quan Judge
The Book of God
Here at hand is The Desatir, which Zoroastrians call the Book of God, the message-bearer and nourisher, not only of the wisest and best, but… Read More »The Book of God
I, The Great Mystery
On I Chuen our Lord took out from itself its Divinity, and made heaven and earth. On 2 Eb it made the first ladder to… Read More »I, The Great Mystery
Renovation Follows Renovation Without Cease
The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao;The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.Non-existence is called the antecedent… Read More »Renovation Follows Renovation Without Cease
The Radiant Thread of Egyptian Myth
The ancient Egyptians believed that the numerous gods of their pantheon were emanations from the First Cause of all life which, before the moment of… Read More »The Radiant Thread of Egyptian Myth
Meditation and Self-Study
Atmanam atmana pasya Meditation and self-study are of immeasurable importance to every single person. They concern the longest journey of the soul, the divine discontent… Read More »Meditation and Self-Study
The Logic of Jain Mystical Doctrines
The teachings of Jainism are presented in their sutras and commentaries with such mathematical exactness and logic one can’t help exclaiming, how true, how clear,… Read More »The Logic of Jain Mystical Doctrines
A Lamp of the True Light
Vast as is the legacy of the skilled and illustrious Jain scholars and artisans, equally extensive is the contribution of the humble and industrious aspirants… Read More »A Lamp of the True Light
The Twenty-four “Buddhas” of Jainism
The barefoot beggar who wanders through India sweeping the dust from his path lest unintentionally he crush by his step some beetle or seed may… Read More »The Twenty-four “Buddhas” of Jainism
Those Mysterious Maya?
The remains of Maya civilization were discovered during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by amateur archaeologists who came to Central America. Better prepared individuals in… Read More »Those Mysterious Maya?
The Theosophy of Ancient America
[Part 1] There was an ancient American theosophy which taught conceptions of the universe and of man just as lofty, profound, and spiritual as any… Read More »The Theosophy of Ancient America
Where Did the ‘Americans’ Come From?
Part One The question of how and when man first arrived in the Americas is far from settled, for the whole Western Hemisphere is covered… Read More »Where Did the ‘Americans’ Come From?
On Plato’s Theory of Ideas
A student at one of the Eastern colleges of the United States writes in that he has more questions than time to ask, and these… Read More »On Plato’s Theory of Ideas
Jainism
The mighty task of bringing together the various factions and of and revitalizing the great philosophy underlying the ancient Vedas was undertaken by two great… Read More »Jainism
Ciphers and Civilizations
Imagine, if you will, a people who had a complex written language that suffered no major changes for more than a thousand years; whose cultural… Read More »Ciphers and Civilizations
The Vedic Schism
Somewhere in the third millennium BC a great conference was held on the slopes of the Himalayas to discuss a problematic Vedic injunction which was… Read More »The Vedic Schism
The Vedas: Soil of Buddhism
In ancient cultures, such as that of the Indo-Aryans or the Druids, literacy and education were not considered of general major importance, because they were… Read More »The Vedas: Soil of Buddhism
The Three Noble Teachers of Ancient China
The following impromptu address was given during a long trip on a Chinese Cargo Liner. Each Sunday morning there was a short religious service during… Read More »The Three Noble Teachers of Ancient China
Ancient America
Part One In a just published book, Before Columbus (Crown Publishers, Inc., N.Y. 1971; 224 pages, $6.50; see review article, “A Question of Maps,” Sunrise August 19, 1967), Dr. Cyrus… Read More »Ancient America
The Two Faces of Egypt
The resurgence of life during the vernal equinox has been celebrated by all peoples who have inherited from remotest antiquity the meaning of what occurs… Read More »The Two Faces of Egypt
The Art of Writing in India
Part I Though the art of writing was known to the ancient Vedic sages, it was used extensively only in the inscriptions of the Indus… Read More »The Art of Writing in India
Aztec Calendar Stone
The most precious relic of Pre-Columbian culture in Mexico is the Aztec Calendar Stone. This immense object of basaltic porphyry measures thirteen feet in diameter… Read More »Aztec Calendar Stone
Unbroken Chain of Oral Tradition
Didactic ballads and folklore are the most precious remnants of a glorious culture that disappeared from the surface of our globe many centuries prior to… Read More »Unbroken Chain of Oral Tradition
The Riddle of Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptian civilizations is still strange to us after many decades of research into its features and history. It seems so contradictory and presents… Read More »The Riddle of Ancient Egypt
Is Theosophy a “Revelation”?
“In thus affording even the superficial thinker and the weak or illogical reasoner a perfect basis for ethics and an unerring guide in life, Theosophy… Read More »Is Theosophy a “Revelation”?
The First Step
In the ocean of worldly life man strives for happiness. His knowledge and experience of the past years of the present incarnation are consubstantial with… Read More »The First Step
Seeds and Seedlings: Evolution and the Evolver
Evolution is the oldest teaching in the world, and misconceptions and misunderstandings of it are as old as man. To many people, doubtless, the ideas… Read More »Seeds and Seedlings: Evolution and the Evolver
Basic Principles of Theosophy
It would be natural enough, perhaps, to suppose that a subject such as Basic Principles of Theosophy—or “basic principles” of anything else—would be a subject… Read More »Basic Principles of Theosophy
Seeds and Seedlings: The Doctrine of Perfectibility
This doctrine of the perfectibility of man is easily comprehended by some men, but is extremely difficult for others—due to centuries of dissemination of the… Read More »Seeds and Seedlings: The Doctrine of Perfectibility
War-Cry of the Soul
I will give you the story of Creation, as it was taught by the ancient Druids in Wales. It is to be taken as symbolical,… Read More »War-Cry of the Soul
Word Puzzles: Evolution
Use of the term evolution has gone through many interesting stages. Following the advent of Darwin, this word served as a rallying cry for all… Read More »Word Puzzles: Evolution
Adventuring in Brotherhood
How are we to make practical use of our faith in universal brotherhood? One answer is by adventuring in brotherhood. Perhaps you object: “I have… Read More »Adventuring in Brotherhood
The Yoga of Self-Discipline
From a manuscript entitled “Aryan Philosophy, etc.,” in the handwriting of William Q. Judge, and preserved in the archives of the Theosophical Society. The Bhagavad-Gita is… Read More »The Yoga of Self-Discipline
World Brotherhood—In Spite of Ourselves
A realization that all men are brothers is the greatest need of the world today. No “ism” or ideology, no social, economic or political system,… Read More »World Brotherhood—In Spite of Ourselves
On Pythagoras
Pythagoras was born about 528 B.C., and his parents, Mnesarchus and Pythais were citizens of Samos and descendants of Ancaeus, who, it is said by… Read More »On Pythagoras
In Search of Zen
Asked, “What is Zen?”, there is only one truthful answer, “That’s it!” For Zen is beyond description. It is the life within form and only… Read More »In Search of Zen
The Nature of Zen Buddhism
There are men, and plenty of them, who think that when something has been classified in accordance with the prevailing system of filing, they know… Read More »The Nature of Zen Buddhism
The Birth of Zen Buddhism
It is said — and what is tradition but truth in the robes of poetry? — that once, when the Buddha was seated with his… Read More »The Birth of Zen Buddhism
Is Theosophy Vague?
H. P. Blavatsky declared quite candidly to theosophists that Theosophy, alone, would enable them to form a nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity and… Read More »Is Theosophy Vague?
The Corresponding Secretary
To The casual reader, the original Constitution or “By-laws of the Theosophical Society,” as published with its Preamble1 on October 30, 1875, signify little more than a… Read More »The Corresponding Secretary
Our Directives: A Study of the Evolution of the “Objects of the T.S.”—from 1875 to 1891
Inspired by the conviction that the Theosophical Society was the inevitable outgrowth of the spiritual demands of the century, its Founders valiantly strove, without concealment… Read More »Our Directives: A Study of the Evolution of the “Objects of the T.S.”—from 1875 to 1891
Yoga in Daily Life
It is often thought that yoga, as expounded by the most famous authority on the subject, namely Patanjali, is something to be attempted only by… Read More »Yoga in Daily Life
Universal Brotherhood
The first law of life is Co-operation, or Spiritual Unity. If this were realized by men of all nations, brotherhood would be universally applied, embracing… Read More »Universal Brotherhood
The Doctrine of Cycles
The doctrine of Cycles is emphasized in Theosophy, as it is so many-sided and so far-reaching in its application to all phases of life and… Read More »The Doctrine of Cycles
The Religion of China
The Chinese have the oldest and the finest civilisation extant, not excepting that of India. Compared with them we in the West are in many… Read More »The Religion of China
Indian Yoga and the Modern World
In one of Dr. Paul Brunton’s earlier works, A Search in Secret India, he says that although Yoga “is one of the most valuable inheritances… Read More »Indian Yoga and the Modern World
The Yoga of Dharana
Dharana is a Sanskrit word coming from the verb-root dhri — meaning to maintain, direct and resolve. Hence the term implies a purposive directing of the mind… Read More »The Yoga of Dharana
Egyptian Teachings in the Light of Theosophy
Verily there was some truth in the old saying, “The Wisdom of the Egyptians.” . . . — H. P. Blavatsky Origen tells us (in Contra… Read More »Egyptian Teachings in the Light of Theosophy
Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
Writing of reincarnation, Lessing, dramatist and philosopher of the eighteenth century enlightenment in Germany, summed up the meaning of this doctrine and its most powerful… Read More »Reincarnation—The Hidden Doctrine
Yoga and Yoga Discipline: A Theosophical Interpretation
Contents Chapter 1: The Yoga of Theosophy Chapter 2: A Tibetan Aspect of Yoga Chapter 3: Yoga in India Chapter 4: The Buddhas of Compassion Chapter… Read More »Yoga and Yoga Discipline: A Theosophical Interpretation
Work for Theosophy
It is futile to accept revelations on anybody’s say-so. They convey no knowledge, and it is actual knowledge that is required by each one. Shibboleths… Read More »Work for Theosophy
Studies in the Voice of the Silence
The Wandering Heart The downfall of every civilization is caused by the weak morals of those who live in and by it. False knowledge or… Read More »Studies in the Voice of the Silence
From Plato to the Neoplatonists
During the lifetime of Plato there was little if any dissension among his pupils. But after his death in 347 B.C. a decided breach occurred.… Read More »From Plato to the Neoplatonists
The Greek Drama
The Golden Age of Greece lasted from the seventh to the fourth century B.C. During those three hundred years the Greeks laid the foundation stone… Read More »The Greek Drama
Plato and Aristotle
When Socrates was sixty years old, Plato, then a youth of twenty, came to him as a pupil. When Plato was sixty years old, the… Read More »Plato and Aristotle
Plato
One night in the year 407 B.C., Socrates had a dream. He saw a graceful white swan flying toward him with a melodious song trilling… Read More »Plato
Socrates
The Age of the Tyrants, which produced the “Seven Wise Men,” the early Ionian School and the Pythagorean School, ended about 500 B.C. Shortly afterward… Read More »Socrates
Universal Brotherhood
Universal Brotherhood is a Theosophist’s way of saying that all things in Nature are akin, from the dust under our feet to the farthest star… Read More »Universal Brotherhood
The Pythagorean Science of Numbers
It was an auspicious day for the student at Crotona when Pythagoras received him into his own dwelling and welcomed him as a disciple. The… Read More »The Pythagorean Science of Numbers
Pythagoras
Twenty-five centuries ago the island of Samos was one of the garden spots of Ionia. Colonized hundreds of years before by a group of Arcadians… Read More »Pythagoras
The First Greek Philosophers
The millennium which extended from the time of Buddha and Pythagoras in the sixth century B.C., until the final suppression of the Neoplatonists in the sixth… Read More »The First Greek Philosophers
The Greek Mysteries
At the time of the early Third Race, high Intelligences from previous periods of evolution incarnated upon this globe in order to form a nursery… Read More »The Greek Mysteries
The Prehistoric Greeks
On a blustery February afternoon in 1874 the German-American archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann climbed the hard steep road leading to the Cyclopean citadel of Mycenae, in… Read More »The Prehistoric Greeks
Thomas Paine
On January 29, 1737, a son was born to Joseph Paine, a humble staymaker living in Thetford, England. A great soul had come into incarnation;… Read More »Thomas Paine
The Count de St. Germain
One of the most mysterious characters in modern history is the famous Count de St. Germain, described by his friend Prince Karl von Hesse as… Read More »The Count de St. Germain
Cagliostro
For 150 years Alessandro Cagliostro has been defamed as the arch-impostor of the eighteenth century. Why? Because it is claimed that Cagliostro was one of… Read More »Cagliostro
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin
The little town of Amboise in Touraine is redolent with memories. There, in the fourth century, Saint Martin, patron of Tours, overthrew an ancient pyramidal… Read More »Louis Claude de Saint-Martin
Anton Mesmer
Mesmerism was from the philosophical standpoint the most pregnant of all discoveries, even though for the moment it propounded more riddles than it solved.—Schopenhauer As… Read More »Anton Mesmer
Jacob Boehme
Jacob Boehme was born in the little village of Alt Seidenburg, near Goerlitz, in 1575. Although his Theosophical co-workers, Giordano Bruno and Robert Fludd, incarnated… Read More »Jacob Boehme
Giordano Bruno
About twelve miles from Naples, on the northeastern slope of Mount Vesuvius, stands the little town of Nola. First settled by a colony of Chaldean… Read More »Giordano Bruno
The Rosicrucians
An old Persian proverb says, “The darker the sky, the brighter the stars will shine.” Perhaps the very darkness of the European firmament during the… Read More »The Rosicrucians
Paracelsus: Physician
It is an interesting fact, and one which should be carefully noted by all students of occultism, that many of the Adepts who have worked… Read More »Paracelsus: Physician
Paracelsus: Philosopher
The transition from the fifteenth to the sixteenth century accomplished one of the most remarkable changes ever recorded of human society. Within the space of… Read More »Paracelsus: Philosopher
The Neoplatonic Revival
In the year 527, when the Emperor Justinian closed the Neoplatonic School in Athens and banished the last seven great Neoplatonists, the teachings of Plato… Read More »The Neoplatonic Revival
The Theosophical Renaissance
At the dawn of the fourteenth century the sky of Europe was grey and lowering. Dull, sodden clouds of discontent were slowly forming above the… Read More »The Theosophical Renaissance
Roger Bacon
Wherever thought has struggled to be free, there the great Theosophical Movement is to be discerned. The twelfth century is interesting from this point of… Read More »Roger Bacon
The Druzes of Mount Lebanon
The tenth century is an important milestone in the history of Europe, as it marked the end of the first thousand years of Christianity. For… Read More »The Druzes of Mount Lebanon
The Light of the Dark Ages
The sixth century was the darkest period in the history of the Western world. It marks the mid-point, or nadir, in the 2500-year cycle which… Read More »The Light of the Dark Ages
Alchemy and the Alchemists
The word Alchemy is a combination of Al and Chemi—Al, like the Hebrew El, meaning the Mighty Sun, Chemi meaning Fire. As Khem was the… Read More »Alchemy and the Alchemists
The Kabala and the Kabalists
The Theosophists of the Middle Ages drew their occult knowledge from two streams of thought which, long before, had sprung from a common source. One… Read More »The Kabala and the Kabalists
The Basis of Universality and Brotherhood
When any individual has arrived at the definite realization that at every conceivable point the Universe is pulsating with life and consciousness, all of which… Read More »The Basis of Universality and Brotherhood
Hypatia: The Last of the Neoplatonists
The fourth century was the turning point in the history of the Western world, the period in which Christianity took the form of a strong… Read More »Hypatia: The Last of the Neoplatonists
Iamblichus: The Egyptian Mysteries
Neoplatonism, like modern Theosophy, may be considered under three aspects: (1) philosophical and scientific; (2) practical and ethical; and (3) mystical and occult. In modern… Read More »Iamblichus: The Egyptian Mysteries
Plotinus
Ammonius Saccas, like many other great Teachers, never committed anything to writing. Following the custom of the ancient Hierophants, he transmitted his teachings orally, and… Read More »Plotinus
Ammonius Saccas
The influence of the great Alexandrian Schools had not helped the early Christians in their work of propaganda. While the Church of Rome held up… Read More »Ammonius Saccas
Alexandria and Her Schools
The little island of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, today barren and sterile, was once the home of great Adepts, and the site of the… Read More »Alexandria and Her Schools
Gnostic Theosophy
In the second century of the Christian era, the Roman Empire comprehended some of the fairest and most cultured portions of the globe. Between 96… Read More »Gnostic Theosophy
The Gnostics
In the first century before the Christian era, a fresh impulse was given to the work of the Theosophical Movement by the Adept now known… Read More »The Gnostics
First Century Christianity
Theosophy is the ancient Wisdom-Religion, as old as thinking man, and part of the work of the Theosophical Movement is to keep these immemorial ideas… Read More »First Century Christianity
Theosophy and Eastern Yoga
I strongly advise you to give up all yoga practices, which in almost all cases have disastrous results. . . . You have learnt, to… Read More »Theosophy and Eastern Yoga
The Divine Discontent of Gautama the Buddha
Twenty-five hundred years ago there was born to the royal family of the Sakya clan, a son, the Prince Siddartha, who, through no fault of… Read More »The Divine Discontent of Gautama the Buddha
Gautama, The Lord Buddha, and His Teachings
“Buddhism teaches an evolution or development of this x-factor of consciousness and will [the Karman, the Dhyani-Buddha, or the Reincarnating Ego or Monad of Theosophy]… Read More »Gautama, The Lord Buddha, and His Teachings
The Language of the Buddhist Scriptures: Pali
Pali is the name that has been given to the language spoken in the north of India, from and before the 7th century b. c.… Read More »The Language of the Buddhist Scriptures: Pali
Jesus, the Christ
I The period of history that began with the first century B.C. and ended with the year 414 A.D. was an important one for the… Read More »Jesus, the Christ
Universal Brotherhood
The purpose of Theosophy and the aim of Theosophists is not that of converting men to a particular form of religious belief, but rather of… Read More »Universal Brotherhood
Creation, Evolution and Emanation
When looking around at the world in which Man finds himself, the silent query of his awakened consciousness is: How did this grand aggregate of… Read More »Creation, Evolution and Emanation